Commentator Patricia McLaughlin contemplates the suggestion by some that the November holiday be moved up so it doesn't come so close to Christmas. But maybe it's too late for such a drastic change.
Rock historian Ed Ward hares his opinions on some of the current crop of rock biographies and industry profiles, including Charles Shar Murray's look at Jimmy Hendrix's place in American culture, "Crosstown Traffic," which he says is brilliant.
Moyers worked as President Lyndon Johnson's press secretary, and has since become a mainstay of public television. He's best known for his popular miniseries featuring Joseph Campbell, called The Power of Myth.
Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews the home video version of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." The movie has been a cult favorite at midnight showings for nearly fifteen years. Gleiberman says it's surprisingly tame and schlocky -- but it may not have been as popular if it were a better movie.
For 40 years, Tames was the White house photographer for the New York Times. He's collected some of his best-known pictures in a new book called "Eye on Washington."
Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg reviews "Cultural Misunderstandings: The French-American Experience" by Raymonde Carroll. It's a look at the different ways different cultures behave and think.
Filmmaker Pierre Sauvage made the film "Weapons of the Spirit," about a small, farming village in France that sheltered 5,000 Jews during World War II. Sauvage's own family was among them.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a release of Artur Schnabel performing Mozart's piano concertos during a live concert. Schnabel had to stop the performance to consult the conductor's score. This was pause was edited out, but Schwartz wishes he could hear this moment of error and humanity, even just once.
White's books include an autobiographical novel called, "A Boy's Own Story," and the nonfiction work, "States of Desire: Travels in Gay America." White was recently diagnosed with AIDS, and is working on a biography of Jean Genet.
The African American novelist's books include Appalachee Red, which won the James Baldwin Prize for Fiction, Rosiebelle Lee Wildcat Tennessee, and Baby Sweets. He's just published a memoir, The Last Radio Baby, about growing up the fourth of ten childen in a sharecropper family in rural Georgia.
The political journalist is a former Jesuit seminarian and professor of public policy at Northwestern University. His new book is called Under God. It's a collection of essays about the frequent collison of politics and religion in America.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the re-release of the exceptional Carla Bley and Paul Haines concept album. It features an eclectic mix of singers and musicians, including Linda Ronstadt, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, and John McGlaughlin.
Television critic David Bianculli reviews the new show about a group of misfit, psychologically impaired cops. He says it brings the police drama to new conceptual highs -- and lows.
Welch is a Native American writer whose written a number of books about Indian life. His books include, "Fools Crow," "The Death of Jim Loney," "Winter in the Blood." His latest is, "The Indian Lawyer" about a Blackfeet Indian who rises to power in the White man's world who gets caught up in a blackmail scheme.
World Music commentator Milo Miles reviews the work of Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour. Aside from his excellent music, Miles praises N'Dour's political consciousness and respect for women.
Callen's new book profiles the longest surviving people with the virus, including himself; he was diagnosed in 1982. Also an AIDS activist, he co-founded the People With AIDS Coalition and the Community Research Initiative.
Owen Gleiberman reviews the latest in the Rocky franchise. Directed by John G. Avildsen, Gleiberman says it tries to recapture the innocence and humanity of the original, but never quite reaches its goal.
Wyman is the quiet, low-profile member of the band who avoided drugs. Using his diaries for reference, he wrote a book about his time in the band through the 1960s, called Stone Alone.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Heartbeats Accelerating, the new album by Kate and Anna McGarrigle. He says it's an accessible, updated version of their austere, folk sound.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the director's new film about the famous painter and his brother. Schiff says it's as much about them as it is the bond between art and commerce.
